Author: Boria Majumdar

They are in red-hot form at the moment, and proved it at the French Open Super 750 in Paris. Completely dominant in the final, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have now played three tournaments this year and made the finals in each of them. If Pullela Gopichand, the badminton national head coach, is to be believed, they are India’s best bet for a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “If they play to potential, they have the best chance to win the gold,” said Gopi moments after they had closed out the final. “In fact, if they play…

The RevSportz conclave had just ended and each one of us had started to take selfies in celebration. We had all worked tirelessly for months and it was much deserved. That’s when two of our leading athletes came up to me and said, “Hope you are doing the the same time next year. This is now part of our annual calendar. It is an opportunity to meet fellow athletes and legends and learn so much. Let us know the date and we will surely want to come again”. The words took time to sink in. All of Saturday we have…

Forty-one athletes, 15 corporate leaders, 10 policy makers and federation presidents. Across 24 sessions. The scale was humongous. And to be able to pull it off and on time, with every athlete telling us it was an event they absolutely loved – can there be a bigger satisfaction than that? We at RevSportz worked six months for the conclave. Non-stop. Putting it all together. And our team of 41 did not sleep for days leading up to it. Today, I write for them. I write to celebrate each of them and the success of the event. Well done each of…

It is one thing to plan. A very different thing to see that plan come good. Team RevSportz worked nonstop for six months, day in and day out, to ensure that India’s best sporting minds came together for two days of meaningful dialogue. We made sure that we had the best of Olympic and Paralympic sport come, meet each other and inspire. Help clarify doubts, and make a difference. Legends like Abhinav Bindra meeting future greats like Shriyanka Sadangi, Sift Kaur Samra and Esha Singh. Sourav Ganguly and Saurav Ghosal meeting young athletes and exchanging ideas. Leander Paes speaking to…

Ask R Ashwin about obsession, and he will smile. In fact, he had once said to me, “Many say I am obsessed. Yes, I am. Against the batters who are the best, I do everything I can to be the best prepared. Steve Smith was one such. I tried to do all I possibly could to get into his mind and be ready for him. He was the most important wicket, and we had to get him early. When you study someone as closely, you almost tend to know what he will be doing. That’s what helped to get him…

Trailblazers conclave 2.0 was formally inaugurated by Pulella Gopichand on Monday evening with a press conference at the Calcutta Sports Journalists Club, which was more than packed to capacity. What Gopi said and details of the conversation will be written by my RevSportz colleagues. That’s not the focus of this piece. Rather, I will be writing about the response I witnessed from journalist colleagues at the press conference. It was, indeed, overwhelming. By the time we reached the venue at 345pm for a 4pm event, the club auditorium was packed to capacity. Journalists, print and broadcast, were all there and…

Two years since Shane Warne left the world. Two years of a void. Of missing the magician. His voice and his art. The cricket world called him a magician. He could do anything with the cricket ball. But the only spin he couldn’t control was that of life. World cricket was poorer with Warne no more at 52. A man of incredible talent, he was born blessed. He could do unimaginable things with the ball on the field. Win games and stun opponents. Bowl the Ball of the Century and win Australia many a match single-handedly. But in doing all…

What’s the one standout feature of the conclave that leaves a lasting impression? While seeing a galaxy of sportspersons share their experiences is in itself enriching, what makes the Trailblazers Conclave 2.0 unique is the presence of multiple mentors and mentees. When Abhinav Bindra is on stage speaking about how to win on the biggest stage of all, there will be Esha Singh, Sift Kaur Samra and Shriyanka Sadangi listening to the legend in the audience. They will be in the same boat in Paris, faced with the biggest moment of their lives. Listening to Abhinav, PR Sreejesh, Sourav Ganguly…

It was a personal visit to check out rare football artifacts from the past as someone deeply interested in them. Carles Cuadrat did not visit as East Bengal coach. Rather he had come over as a student of football history who loves the past. It was meant to be what we call the perfect Bengali adda. Carles Cuadrat and Dimas Delgado with team RevSportz, on what it takes to be a good footballer, the fans who make Kolkata football what it is. “India needs some game-changers” said Cuadrat. “If you have a few game-changers, close matches can be won. It…

We remember watching Leander Paes play Andre Agassi at Atlanta in 1996 and the pride we felt each time Leander stunned the crowd with one of his fancy drop shots, too many of which might have ultimately cost him the match. Leander, then ranked 127 in the world, was someone who raised the bar a series of notches when he donned the national colours at the Olympics. In qualifying for the semi-finals, Leander upset four competitors ranked higher than him in the ATP rankings. As Rohit Brijnath, one of our finest sports writers, who covered Atlanta, had written: “Here was…